Uzumaki Dead Bones D Naruto
by HokagenoNaruto
Summary: Uzumaki D. Naruto was your average young lad living on the peaceful island of Konoha. He lived a fairly content life, living with his grandparents. Yet, he always felt like something wasn't right. He wanted more. He didn't mind the peace, but he wanted what many boys wanted. Adventure! With a plan in mind, and his will set in stone, he set sail to have the adventure of a lifetime!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Naruto. The opinions of the characters are in no way shape or form my own. Enjoy :)

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was always a prankster. He had been since his birth, and would always continue to be until the day he died. While he always did rile up a bunch of people with his pranks, they were all relatively harmless. No one got hurt of course, and he would clean it up afterward, whether he had been caught or not. All in all, Naruto definitely loved his pranks.

But Naruto also loved another thing, just as much and even more than pranking. And that was adventure. He wanted to explore the world! See all the beautiful wonders it had to offer and have one of the best adventures ever! He wanted to set sail from the dingy island he lived on, where everything was peaceful, save for the occasion ruckus caused by himself.

Of course, all goals, much like his to set sail from his home, had obstacles. His obstacle was that he was not an adult. He was not at an age where he could simply leave without consent. He would have had to _beg_ his grandfather to let him go.

Note, the key words there were "would have had." Because now, Uzumaki D. Naruto was finally an adult! He had turned 17 merely a week ago, and despite the looming winter months, he was ready to go! Though he would still be required to attempt to sneak off the island, as while his grandfather and grandmother could not stop him legally, they still had some say and Naruto didn't really have any wish to confront him before leaving.

He had already packed his supplies, hidden in a tanned leather bag underneath his bed, the one place where no one in his household would check. He had secretly gathered and hidden away non-perishable supplies close to the point where he had planned to set sail from, and even built himself a little dinghie for the occasion_ years _ ago.

His name was Uzumaki D. Naruto and he would be damned if he didn't leave the island and see the world!

* * *

"And where _exactly _ do you think you're heading off to with that bag, Naruto?"

Naruto groaned. This was the one thing he hadn't hoped for. To be found out by his seemingly all-seeing and all-knowing grandfather. Kami knows how he located him, considering he had snuck past their room with the grace and sneakiness of a mouse. It was as if the man had eyes on him at all times!

He knew there was no way out of this, as his grandfather would know if he lied.

"I'm...I'm leaving," Naruto stated firmly, turning to face his grandfather, Sarutobi Hiruzen, mayor of the town, and by default, island of Konoha.

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "To do what exactly?"

"I wanna explore the world, old man!" Naruto replied sincerely, his eyes burning fiercely. He would run from the old man if he had to, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Sarutobi's eyebrow remained raised, his expression otherwise not changing.

"And pray tell, _how_ are you going to go about that?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he revealed his plan.

"Well, I have my spare clothes and all that ready, and I have a dinghie which I was going to use to get off this island."

"A _dinghie_?" Sarutobi asked incredulously. How in Kami's name did his grandson expect to get through the Grand Line on a rowboat?

"Yeah! I made it myself!" Naruto exclaimed proudly, though he suddenly quieted down as he remembered his grandmother was still asleep.

Sarutobi shook his head. His grandson had clearly not planned for the hardships of the Grandline, if his idea to go out on a dinghie he made himself was ant indication.

"Just...come with me for a minute. And before you protest, I'm not stopping you from leaving."

Naruto, who had just been ready to open his mouth and do exactly that, quickly shut his mouth as his interest was peaked. His grandfather was _letting_ him go? Now that was simply _unbelievable_.

He quickly followed his grandfather into the house, intent on finding out what he wanted.

* * *

Naruto walked through the quiet halls of the Sarutobi mansion. While it was grand in size, there was not much interior decorating done, as the Sarutobi's were a humble family, only having a large home because the townspeople had insisted on it.

Naruto recognized the route as the one to his grandfather's office, but instead of entering it, his grandfather merely walked past it, turning into the hall that lead to the basement.

'Why are we going there?' Naruto thought, confused. Whenever his grandfather ever needed to talk to someone privately he would _always_ use his office. Naruto had even been forbidden from entering the basement, and while he had tried out of curiosity, the door never seemed to budge, no matter how hard he pushed or pulled it.

Sarutobi placed his right hand on the center of the door, then after a brief moment, reached for the handle. Naruto, watching with baited breath, saw it easily turn in Sarutobi's aged hand, a click sounding indicating it opened.

'What the hell did he just do?'

His grandfather walked down the stairs into the darkness, and Naruto followed behind after a moment.

The stairs descended a a few steps before stopping at another door. Sarutobi repeated what he had done for the basement door, and opened it, gesturing for Naruto to follow.

Naruto entered after his grandfather, stepping into the even darker room.

"Close the door behind you, please."

Naruto did so, slowly closing the door. The second he did, the room they were in illuminated with bright light.

"What the..."

The room they were in was not an overly large one, but the awe in his voice was caused due to the contents of it. There were maps everywhere! The whole room had to be covered in them! The flooring was simple hardwood, cleaner than Naruto would think it to be. At the opposite side of the room was a simple workbench, with a few stray papers lying around, as well as a pencil and eraser.

"What...is this, old man?" Naruto asked, the wonder easily distinguished in his voice.

"A simple room with maps of the Grandline from my days of youth. I was a fairly accomplished navigator after all."

Naruto shook his head, not understanding. "If you were a navigator, why did you stop? It can't be old age."

Sarutobi chuckled, dismissively waving his hand. "That is a story for another time. But for now, I understand you want to explore the world?"

Naruto nodded his head, confirming his grandfather's question.

"Why?"

Naruto stopped for a second at the question. He didn't quite know why he wanted to go on adventure. It was simply a feeling he had. A feeling that he wanted to see the world and fly free.

"I...don't really know how to explain it, but I wanna see the world, I guess. I don't wanna be confined to this little town, old man!"

"Hm...I see. Very well then, you may go."

Naruto felt like his heart stopped beating for a second at those words. He hadn't really thought his grandfather was serious. He imagined this would all be to convince him to stay, to prevent him from leaving.

"Are...are you serious?"

Sarutobi nodded. "Very much so. If you want to explore the world, very well then. I am not one to stop you. But I do have something for you. It should aid you on your journey, especially in the Grandline of all places."

Sarutobi got up, walking to the center of the room. He placed his hand on the ground, and almost immediately, a trapdoor appeared. He pulled it up, reached inside and pulled out a small chest.

'How in the world does he do that?' Naruto wondered silently to himself. His grandfather had suddenly become a lot weirder. First he was a navigator for some ship, and he was also seemingly making impossible to open doors open with ease.

He brought it back to Naruto, placing it on the table.

"Do not open this until you have set sail. The Grandline is a dangerous place, and if you truly want to travel you will absolutely _need_ the contents of those chest."

Naruto nodded his head slowly, his hand reaching for the chest. He grasped it tightly and carefully picked it up , expecting it to be heavy. It was not, instead being surprisingly light.

'It's like there's nothing in there at all.'

"Follow me Naruto, to the harbour," Sarutobi said, already getting up and moving to the door.

Naruto was quick to follow, as his grandfather disappeared up the stairs. He was not given a chance to object and say that his boat wasn't at the harbour. But his grandfather must have had his reasons, just as he did for giving him the chest.

* * *

Naruto stared open mouthed at the brigantine before him. It was a medium-sized ship, looking to be about eighty feet in length, each side of the ship lined with about 5 holes for cannons, which he assumed were either inside the ship or there were none. It had two masts, one located in the middle and one towards the front of the ship.

The middle mast was much larger, having a crow's nest at the very top, as well as three large sails. The front mast was similar, but with two sails and also not as large. The ship was a dark brown colour, and seemed to be very well made.

"Old man...what is this?"

"Well, it appears to be a ship," Sarutobi paused, before smiling lightly to himself. "More specifically, as I'm sure you're wondering, it's your ship."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. A ship that big and well made, and his grandfather was giving it to him? He couldn't believe it!

"Old man, I don't know what to say," Naruto said quietly, hanging his head down, light tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. He simply couldn't help it. He didn't think his grandfather would support his dream!

Sarutobi stepped forward, gently hugging his grandson. He smiled kindly.

"Then don't say anything at all, and set sail Naruto. Though, I expect you to come back one day and visit."

Naruto pulled out of the hug, sniffing and wiping his eyes.

He looked up and his grandfather and grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

"You bet old man!"

He turned and ran to the ship, grabbing the swinging ladder and climbing aboard. He suddenly frowned though.

"How am I going to get this thing out of here?"

"Allow me to help you with that," his grandfather's voice came from behind him, though it seemed oddly distorted.

He turned around, only to be faced with two of his grandfather!

"Eh! You got a twin old man?"

"Not at all."

This time, the voice from his right to reveal another Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"The hell?!"

Sarutobi chuckled at his grandson's reaction. No matter how many times he had seen it when people saw his Devil Fruit's ability for the first time, it never did get old.

"I've eaten a Devil Fruit that allows me to create solid copies of myself. Essentially, I am a **Clone Human**. Now, I'm aware this ship is rather large, so I'll create some clones to man it for you. They will last long enough to take you to the next island, but not much beyond that, so please, _try_ to get a crew member to help you. I recommend watching how they do things to learn how to operate this ship."

Naruto nodded, though somewhat distantly. Now his grandfather was a Devil Fruit user? This day, or rather, night, couldn't get any weirder.

Sarutobi closed his eyes, opening them a second later, and with light pops and some wisps of smoke, around twenty-five clones of his grandfather stood before Naruto, waiting for orders.

"Farewell, Naruto."

Those were the last words of his grandfather as he leaped off the ship and onto the deck.

The clones of Sarutobi quickly rushed around, hoisting up the anchor and readying the sails. Naruto took his place at the helm, finding it fitting as he was now, more or less, the captain. Within ten minutes, the ship began drifting away from the harbour, and into open waters.

Naruto turned the wheel, keeping firm control of the ship so it would not drift. After a few minutes of sailing, he suddenly remembered the chest that was resting beside him. He let go of the wheel, calling for a clone to take over.

He grabbed the chest, going into what he assumed were the captain's quarters. It was a fairly spartan room, with a bed, drawers and a worktable. There appeared to be a closet as well, hidden due to the pale light of the room.

He grabbed the torch that was by the door, waving it around the room, finding a lamp. Bringing the torch to it, he lit it, returning the torch to it's place.

Naruto placed the chest on the mattress, taking a deep breath as he opened it.

"No way..."

Inside, resting upon a red velvet cushion, was a Devil Fruit. It was a shade of pale yellow, almost gold, with red swirls patterned across it. He picked it up, admiring it's almost ethereal beauty as it seemed to glow.

He stared at it for a while, turning it over in his hands and brushing his fingers along it, feeling the oddly smooth texture.

Still in shock, he gently rested it back on the cushion, looking at the other contents of the chest. There were two log pose, one spinning frantically and another pointed solidly back to, what he thought, was the direction of his home island, Konoha.

"He gave me an Eternal Log Pose!" He exclaimed suddenly. He had been wondering how he would get back to his home, but this seemed to solve his problem easily. The other log pose seemed normal, though it was still spinning, albeit a bit slower than before.

Finally, he found a letter, sealed with red wax. On it, he found written:

_To Uzumaki Naruto_

He raised an eyebrow, wondering who had addressed the letter to him. Maybe it was simply a letter from his old man? But if that was the case, then he would have known he would leave for a long time. Even he didn't think his grandfather had that much precognition.

Finding no answers in his thoughts, he resorted to the only possible thing; opening the letter. using his nails, he peeled off the wax seal, flipping the flap up, grabbing the piece of paper inside and pulling it out.

_Dear Naruto__,_

_If you are reading this, then Sarutobi finally deemed you ready to see the contents of this box. That, or you are impulsively going out on an adventure, and he felt it necessary for you to have this. Whichever the reason may be, the contents in this box are yours. Let me start small, and tell you about the log pose, in case you do not know about them. One is an Eternal Log Pose, which will lead you back to Konoha. Next, is a regular log pose. Because it takes roughly 17 years for the log pose to change once you land on Konoha, it may either be pointing in the direction of our home, or spinning as it sets onto another island. It will do so once you sail further out, as Konoha is evenly located from a few islands, messing up the pose. _

_Secondly, the Devil Fruit, which hopefully, you know what they do. If not, in short, this fruit will grant you immense power, at the cost of you forever losing the ability to swim. Water will be your eternal weakness. Now, specifically about the fruit, it is the **Hone Hone no Mi**. Eating it will grant you the ability to pull bones from your body, easily replacing the ones pulled, and also giving you a much denser bone structure. Your strength will also be boosted along with this, and despite the denser bone structure, to you, it will feel just like normal. Take notice, your bones will be as strong as steel. Also, it is recommended you read up on the bone structure of the body, and also which bones are located where. Whether you choose to eat it or not is your choice. _

_Finally, you're probably wondering who I am, and why I'm doing this. Well, my name is Minato Namikaze. I am your father. I can't say how sorry I am for not being there for you, or why I wasn't. All I can say is, that this leads to a dangerous plot that I'm hoping you will not uncover. Heed my words, Naruto, and be careful. You're mother and I both love you very much, and perhaps, one day, we will meet, should I survive. _

_Become a great man, and no matter what you do, I will love you._

_Minato_

Naruto's eyes had long since started shedding tears as he read the letter from his father. All his life, he had wondered who he was. Why he wasn't there. Hell, if he was even alive! But now, he knew something! His father hadn't left him on purpose. There was clearly something that had prevented him from doing so. Perhaps, by the slightest chance, he might even be alive.

"I'm gonna go on the best journey ever Dad, and if you're out there, I'm gonna find you! Believe it!"

With his heart set firmly on his goal, he looked at the fruit and knew immediately what he had to do. He grabbed it, taking a giant chunk out of it.

"Bleh!"

He forcefully kept his mouth shut as the vile taste of the fruit threatened to make him throw it up. But he endured, swallowing it, repeating the process, until finally, seemingly almost an eternity later, the fruit was consumed.

He stood up shakily, not feeling any different. He certainly didn't feel like he had been granted supernatural powers, or even any stronger at all.

"Hm...how does this work?"

He sat down on the floorboards, willing for some bone in his body to pop out.

He felt some strain in his arm. He looked over at it, noticing a small white structure slowly coming out. It seemed to be stuck.

"C'mon!"

He pushed harder, willing it to come out. It was almost halfway out when the ship suddenly rocked, breaking his concentration and the bone slipping back inside his body.

Naruto sighed. This was going to take some effort.

Che. More like _a lot_ of effort.

* * *

**Well I'm back again with another story! My other one's are not abandoned, but they're slow progress as I can't really get inspiration for either. But anyway, this was the first installment of Uzumaki "Dead Bones" D. Naruto. Hope you all liked it, and can hopefully bear with the cliche beginning. There's not many other ideas to start it off, but hopefully soon you'll see some divergence. As for my choice of Devil Fruit, I dunno, it seemed to fit. I was going to give him chakra chains at first, but scratched that idea. I simply liked this more, since I don't like when characters start jumping all over the place and learning many different things. Like some Naruto x One Piece stories where they have him learn Red Leg, Santouryuu, eat a Devil Fruit and other crazy stuff. No! Way too many powers lol. This should hopefully keep him fairly versatile, while also not make it seem like he's getting overpowered. Hopefully... **

**Later! I'll try and get the next chapter out soon. **


	2. Of Flaming Cats and Clouds

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Naruto. The opinions of the characters are in no way shape or form my own. Enjoy :)

**NOTE: This chapter is not completely beta'd. My normal (and awesome) beta (Sorrowful Stone) went MIA, so after waiting a while, I finally decided to edit it to the best of my ability and simply post the chapter. There will still be mistakes, and I'm sure the writing quality won't be as decent as normal, but HOPEFULLY it isn't overly bad...hopefully.**

* * *

Naruto was once again sitting on his bed, attempting to force the bone out from his shoulder. It had been three days since he had left Konoha and eaten his Devil Fruit. While he had made some progress with it, he was still having trouble actually removing the bone from his body. It would come out at what he estimated was three quarters of the way, then simply stop. He had been attempting for what appeared like ages now to get it past that point, yet it wouldn't budge.

"For...the love of Kami..._Come out_!"

With a mighty roar, he channeled all his willpower into forcing the bone out. His eyes were shut tightly, his fists clenched in even tighter balls as he let out heavy breaths from the massive energy it took.

Suddenly, about a second later, he heard a clutter as something hit the wooden floor under his bed. He opened his eyes, looking towards the location of the sound. Laying there, perfectly white and pristine, was a foot and a half long bone, curved into the shape of a dagger at the front, with a subtle handle on the opposite end.

He picked it up, examining it. It was perfectly white, and when he tapped the surface, it gave a dull sound as his knuckle rapped against the surface. It certainly seemed solid enough. Time to test it.

He grabbed the bone, and wielding it like a dagger, ran up to the wall beside his bed, stabbing the bone at it.

It went through the wall like a hot knife through butter.

Naruto grinned at himself, proud with his accomplishment.

"Now we're making some progress!"

* * *

**The Next Day**

The following day, Naruto stood behind the helm as he watched the distant island that he could identify as Kumo grow near. He had been there a few times with his grandfather on diplomatic trips, though not so much that he was familiar with it. It was a fairly large island, the main village being the only large settlement, the rest of the terrain being deemed too mountainous to settle large groups of people in. Of course, there was still occasional houses that dotted the landscape.

The leader, A, was a middle-aged man in his forties. If Naruto remembered correctly, he was dark skinned and very muscular, usually donning his pants and pro wrestler belt, along with an open white coat. From what he had seen, A never bothered to wear shirts of tops, no matter the occasion, which lead Naruto to conclude was due to him enjoying the attention from showing off his muscles. Alternatively, it was also possible that there were not many clothes that actually fit his large size.

The Sarutobi clones that he had been provided by his grandfather had all but disappeared, only two remaining at his disposal. He was hoping that while he stocked up in Kumo and the log pose reset, he would have the chance to hopefully find a crew member to come along with him.

As the island grew closer, Naruto carefully steered his ship away from the harsh rocks that surrounded parts of Kumo Island, and towards the main dock and harbour, the clones of his grandfather having given him a quick crash course on manning a ship.

Finding a free spot in the port, he set his ship there, one of the clones already lowering the anchor so that the ship would stay in place. He hopped off the ship with ease, landing in a crouching position. Standing up, he enjoyed the fresh mountain air in Kumo as he began walking through town.

'Alright! The first job is to get some supplies for the trip. Next, I have to get myself a good crew member! A strong one, hopefully.'

That was another thing Kumo was famed for. It's number of strong and capable fighters. Unlike Konoha, which was farther off to the edge of the Grandline, Kumo was in the direct path of pirate ships as they sailed farther down the Grand Line. If you were a pirate entering from Reverse Mountain, the chance of you sailing by, or in the path of Kumo was fairly high.

Naruto hoped that he could find someone that was capable of becoming his first mate and handling themselves in a fight. He knew very well that journeying the Grandline would require that he be strong, and he needed crew members who were the same way.

He continued walking, completely lost in his thoughts. As he began turning the corner, he bumped straight into someone, knocking them both on their backs.

"Oof!"

Naruto rubbed his head, which he had hit while falling. He looked over to the person who he bumped into, not quite recognizing who she was. Though she seemed familiar for some reason. Perhaps he had seen her the last time he had visited?

"Hey, watch where you're going, pal!" The woman said, somewhat angrily. She was an average height, with long, dirty blonde-hair, looking to be about nineteen or twenty years old. She wore the standard garb of Kumo's militia, which consisted of dark purple clothing, with a black leather chest-plate to offer some protection. Her hair appeared to be flowing freely, but he noticed the she had it tied towards the very bottom. The most interesting thing about her was her eyes, which seemed to be slitted, much like a cats.

While she was fairly attractive, Naruto didn't notice any of that. What he did notice was her words, which immediately ignited his own temper.

"Hey, why don't you?! You were the one walking like an airhead!"

She grit her teeth back at him, almost hissing. "Look who's talking, blondie."

Naruto stared back, slightly bewildered. "You're blonde too!"

She 'hmphed', crossing her arms at him. "But I'm dirty blonde, which makes me closer to brunette. You're completely blonde, and therefore, an airhead."

"You know what? You're really pissing me off!"

She smirked suddenly, looking exactly like a feline about to play with a new toy. "You wanna fight, brat?"

Naruto stood up, using his advantage in height over her. While he was not one for random brawls, this girl really ticked him off.

"Bring it on!"

She stayed on the ground for a moment, before springing herself up using her legs. However, before she could say anything further, a male voice cut her off.

"Yugito, it probably isn't the best idea to fight in the middle of the street. Not to mention, you're already in big trouble with A-sama cuz of the last time you accidentally ripped up an entire block fighting Bee-sama."

The voice was fairly dull, sounding bored and as if it's owner would much rather be doing something more productive. Such as sleeping.

Naruto looked over, noticing a white-haired dark male, standing at a fairly impressive height. He also wore the standard clothing of Kumo's militia, though his chest guard only had one strap, and it was white, unlike Yugito's own black one. The handle of some weapon, possibly a sword, was sticking over his right shoulder.

"Oh c'mon, I said I was sorry, Darui!" The newly named Yugito complained to Darui, who still looked as bored as ever. His right hand exited his pocket, coming up to run hand through his short, unruly hair.

"Whatever. Just, don't fight people on the street anymore."

Yugito sighed, nodding in acceptance.

"Fine, but this guy pissed me off first."

Naruto, hearing this, immediately protested. What in the world did she mean? She was the one who yelled at him!

"Hey, you started arguing first!"

Yugito turned on him again, seemingly forgetting her words to Darui. She clapped her fists together, making a 'click' sound with her tongue.

Naruto watched in awe as her fists seemingly lit themselves on fire. Blue fire, to be exact.

"You have a Devil Fruit?" he asked curiously. He wasn't aware Kumo had Devil Fruit users. Then again, he didn't know much about Kumo in the first place. He had only been here a few times, and the leader of Kumo had been the only person he actually was familiar with, to a degree.

"No, I'm a freaking wizard- o_f course I have a Devil Fruit!_" she retorted, placing emphasis on her words, trying to make Naruto feel inadequate. She didn't really succeed, but it still ticked him off.

"You know what, I really have half a mind to beat you up! But instead, I'm just going to go see A-ossan!"

Darui, who was just about to intervene and stop the ever rising conflict, suddenly paused at the name of his leader. But why was this brat calling him ossan? Either way, he couldn't help but start chuckling. It didn't matter who the kid was, but A-sama wouldn't be pleased as being called ossan, of all things.

"Hehe, tell you what kid, I'll take you to him. Yugito, you're coming too," Darui told them, straightening up. It might be amusing to see what would happen when Naruto and A met. It certainly would make this dull day a bit better.

"Wait, why me too?!" Yugito protested fiercely. Okay, so maybe she had blown up a block. But that was before! She hadn't even done any damage to anything yet!

"Because I still have to report this little conflict. Now c'mon already."

* * *

A sighed tiredly as he continued filling in the paperwork that was required by his post. As the leader of Kumo, he had a large amount of stress from his own few eccentric islanders, as well as the constant threats caused by pirates. While he didn't refuse pirates as they did provide a fair amount of income, it was still annoying when they decided to be rowdy, or got a little too greedy.

His way of relieving stress was weight lifting, which he was doing at the moment. He was ambidextrous, so switching his lifting hand and writing hand caused no problem in his neat handwriting. Signing another piece of paper, he out it on the pile, reaching for the next.

He grabbed it, raising an eyebrow. It was a letter from Sarutobi Hiruzen, the mayor of the neighboring island of Konoha. While he had met with the peace-loving man a few times, on diplomatic meetings, they never really interacted outside of that. For him to send a letter was certainly a curious affair.

With a rough hand, he opened it, taking out the piece of paper. He grabbed his reading glasses and began looking over the letter.

_Dear A-dono,_

_It certainly had been a long time since our last diplomatic meet, and I would love to have one again. However, that isn't the reason for this letter. My foolhardy grandson has finally turned seventeen, and has set out on an adventure. From my informants, I have learned that he is sailing in the direction of Kumo. He should arrive in a day, and I would be in your debt if you could do something for me.  
_

_My request is that you spare a member of your militia, to join his crew. Just one. I am willing to pay for it in a barter of your choice. I know you are a man of trust, so if it helps, have Naruto do something, anything, to earn your trust. He will not let you down, of that, I am sure. _

_Sincerely, _

_Sarutobi Hiruzen  
_

A raised an eyebrow. That little blond-haired brat that referred to him as 'ossan' was going out on an adventure? Well, his sheer guts would either lead him to his own death, or keep him alive on the journey.

'I wonder, does he want to be a pirate? Or just an adventurer?'

A was interrupted from his musings by a knock on his door. He called for whoever was outside to enter, hoping whatever they wanted would be quick word. He had paperwork to do!

The door to A's office opened, and in walked two members of his militia, Yugito and Darui, along with a tall blond-haired boy. He immediately recognized him to be Naruto. While he had certainly grown from three years ago, the blond hair and blue eyes would forever be a dead giveaway.

However, he was wondering why exactly he was accompanied by Yugito and Darui. Darui he could possibly understand, but the only reason Yugito was ever in his office was either she had caused some sort of trouble, or she was called for a mission. A hadn't called her for the second reason, leaving only the first as an option. His head could almost feel the possible headache coming.

"What did Yugito do now?" A asked Darui, not even bothering to consider other reasons why they may be there.

He wasn't wrong however, as Darui immediately straightened, and began his report.

"I caught Yugito about to fight this guy beside me in the street. They were both arguing over something, and I intervened once Yugito brought out her Devil Fruit."

His voice remained the same throughout the report, going over as much as he knew about the conflict. Yugito looked ready to talk, but she held her tongue, knowing speaking out would only make the situation worse for her.

A sighed. He knew it was something like that. Atleast no blocks had been ripped up.

"Why were you two arguing Yugito?"

She immediately began speaking, pointing an accusing finger at Naruto.

"I was going along my merry way, when suddenly, this guy bumps into me! We both fell, and he began arguing for no reason!"

"Hey! That isn't what happened! You wanted to fight me first!" Naruto protested against the false information Yugito was clearly feeding her leader.

"Naruto, shut up. Yugito, stop lying. Now, _truthfully_, continue."

Both of them immediately calmed down at A's voice, stopping their growing argument. Darui, standing off to the side, tilted his head in confusion as his leader addressed the boy. How did those two know each other? The boy had also seemed familiar with A from before, when he referred to him as 'ossan.'

"Alright, so maybe I aggravated him a tad bit!" Yugito admitted with a huff, crossing her arms and looking away from Naruto.

"Well, atleast you didn't cause property damage...," A mused, thanking Kami for his somewhat good fortune.

"Anyway, is that all?"

All three nodded.

"Very well, Darui and Yugito, you may go. Brat, you stay," A commanded. He would fulfill Sarutobi's request to give Naruto a crew member. The old leader's trade offer was certainly tempting, as he could use it to ask for fruit and other vegetables from Konoha, where the harvest was always plentiful. Of course, while he did know the brat was fairly trustworthy, he still wanted to see his strength. He would give him a mission, and provided he completed it, Naruto would get a crew member. He just didn't know who to-

His eyes suddenly turned to Yugito, who was just about to leave.

"Yugito!" he barked, gaining her attention and causing her to turn around.

"What?" she asked, somewhat rudely. She didn't pay much attention to it, as she felt it wasn't her fault. If anything, that blond bastard could be blamed for pissing her off!

A ignored her tone, gesturing for her to come back in. She obeyed, closing the door and walking to stand beside Naruto.

"Now, brat, why are you here?" A asked him. He was fully aware of the reason, having already been informed by Sarutobi. However, he doubted the old leader would want his grandson to know he was pulling some strings to help him. Therefore, he would fake ignorance and rope the brat into doing a mission.

Naruto scrunched his eyes together, grinning as he began to explain.

"Well, I decided I want to go on an adventure! So I got the old man to let me go. So I sailed here to let my Log Pose reset and get some supplies. And hopefully a good crew member," he explained to A.

"Are you hoping to be a pirate?"

Naruto immediately shook his head. "Not really. I just wanna go on an adventure and have fun!"

A nodded to convey his understanding. So the boy just wanted to have some fun. However, he would make sure Naruto was clear on one thing.

"Listen carefully, brat. Either you're a member of the Marines and with the World Government, or, you're a pirate or bounty hunter. That's how it's classified out on sea. Even if you don't do anything, the World Government will still either see you as a pirate and bounty hunter. While bounty hunters are treated better than pirates, they still can be confused as one or the other, capable of receiving bounties themselves. You mess with the wrong guy, you're a pirate. Automatically, with no reprieve whatsoever."

He paused, letting this information sink in. He looked to Yugito, who was doing a surprising job of staying quiet, simply listening in. Despite her impulsive nature, she was still capable of discipline as a soldier, however much she chose to ignore it.

"Now, if you're fully aware of that, I can give you a crew member. It'll be someone of my choosing, but you will have to complete something for me. A job of sorts, to prove your strength and capability. Do you accept?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders with a grin. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

Naruto and Yugito glared at each other, lightning shooting between their eyes as they stood before A. They were both unhappy with the job the Raikage had given Naruto, though for the same reason; they were being sent on the mission together.

"Why do I have to work with this bastard/ bitch?!"

Their eyes only narrowed further, the intensity of their glare increasing to greater proportions.

"What'd you just call me?!"

A had a slight sweatdrop forming because of their antics.

'Maybe pairing them together wasn't the best idea?'

* * *

Naruto walked down the pathway leading out of the village, his hands on the back of his head. Following closely behind him was Yugito, who had her hands in her pockets and was pointedly ignoring Naruto.

Their mission was to eliminate a small group of bandits that were hiding out in the mountains. They were nothing significant, but had been causing some mild trouble in terrorizing smaller settlements that dotted the moderately large island of Kumo. Requests had been sent to the village to assist them, and A had just been about to send out a team anyway. However, with Naruto's arrival, he had decided that him and Yugito should be adequate in dealing with the bandits. After all, if he couldn't handle mere bandits, he would never be ready for the perils of the sea.

As they continued to walk down the path, Naruto finally sighed, coming to and stop and turning to face Yugito.

"Listen, we have our differences, but I think we also got off on the wrong foot a bit," he began. Naruto had decided that maybe the girl wasn't all that bad, and he would step up as the bigger man and apologize first.

"So, let's start over." He paused momentarily, before breaking out into a grin.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand amicably.

Yugito blinked slightly, before hesitantly reaching her own hand up to grasp his own firmly. "Ni Yugito. Nice to meet you too."

* * *

Naruto and Yugito stood on the outskirts of a clearing that contained the bandit camp. From their close proximity to it, they could hear the uproarious sounds of laughter from the men huddled around a fire, drinks in their hands and food on their plates. They had arrived at the camp just a few minutes ago, after having walked for about three hours, scouring the area for it.

Yugito narrowed her eyes as she observed the camp. Their were more bandits than had been initially reported. Approximately twenty more from the original ten. While she had no doubt she could take them down herself, she wasn't quite sure if her companion could as well. She had no idea on what his abilities were, or if he could even handle himself in a fight properly. She was going to have to stay close to him, in case he faltered in the face of actual combat.

"Alright, this is what we're going to do. I'm gonna jump in and attract their attention. Stay close to me, and stay alive," Yugito said, telling Naruto the plan. Without waiting to see whether he had any questions or worries, she strode into the clearing.

"Hey, dipshits! I hope you're ready for a nice life in prison!" She announced cockily, immediately attracting the attention of the bandits as she hit her fists together.

Immediately, blue flames ignited on her hands, flicking about as she placed her hands at her side. She glanced idly back at Naruto. "Remember, stay close."

The bandits appeared to be laughing at her claim. Even as the blue flames ignited on her hands, they were far from impressed. One bandit spoke up.

"C'mon! One little lady and boy think they can throw all _thirty_ of us in prison! Let's show this bit-"

**"Soru."**

The bandit who had just spoken up was sent flying back, crashing into a tree, as Yugito appeared right beside him. She retracted her still extended fist, bringing it to her mouth and mockingly blowing on it as if she had just shot a pistol.

She glared at the rest of the bandits, her demeanor changing. "Anyone else?"

The bandits didn't answer with words. Instead, they responded with cries of outrage and bloody murder, scrambling to pick up their weapons. They moved to surround Yugito, making sure she couldn't escape. Perhaps if she had been an average soldier, such tactics would work.

The stalemate of glaring back and forth was broken as a large bandit wielding an equally large nodachi advanced on her. He lifted his blade above his head, slashing it down at the still unmoving Yugito.

Naruto, who had been watching the proceedings up until now, saw the sword moving towards her. 'Why isn't she moving?! Is she trying to get herself killed?'

The blade collided and easily went through her, cleaving Yugito into two equal parts. Smoke was kicked up as soon as the sword hit the ground, obstructing Naruto's view.

"Dammit!" He cursed. Naruto would've said more, but immediately went quite as the and the bandits were both in shock.

Standing straight, still divided into two parts, with Yugito. Where blood and guts should've been pouring out from the two pieces were blue flames, licking the surface of her skin. Slowly, they reached out, conjoining with one another and sealing the divide.

"She's a Logia-type!" Naruto exclaimed, his surprise evident on his face. Yugito glanced back at his shout, and gave him a light smirk.

"Not exactly" she said, turning back to face the bandit in front of her. Her flaming fists burned even brighter as she appeared to clench them. "This is the power of the **Mythical Zoan: Nibi no Nekomata**. It made my body transform into the Demon Cat's; the body is made completely of blue flames and can take on any appearance."

"Also..." She leaped into the air, a fierce look in her eyes.

"Mere blades won't be able to cut through me!"

Clasping her fists together, she formed them into a hammer shape, slamming it down into the face of the large bandit. He was instantly knocked out, his face burned and mouth foaming.

"Ehhhhhhh!"

The eyes of the bandits almost popped out of their sockets as she landed in a smooth crouch on the ground.

"What is she?" One exclaimed fearfully, still staring at the form of his fallen comrade. He was immediately silenced however as Yugito charged forward on all fours, a flaming tail coming out of her back and feline ears forming on top of her head. Her base speed was drastically increased, and she closed the gap within seconds. His face had an intimate meeting with her fist, eliciting a cry of pain from the bandit.

Naruto watched as she rotated fighting from one bandit to another, her style of fighting reminiscent of a dancer. Her movements flowed perfectly, executed with grace and purpose. Whether she was blocking an attack, or striking down a bandit with a flaming fist, Yugito was always in control. At the same time, her movements were almost wild and desperate, similar to that of a cornered animal. He watched as her tail acted almost sentient, proving as an excellent tool of offense and defense alike, batting away attacks and attackers.

Naruto shook his head, shaking himself out of his stupor. He had to help her! Despite how well she was doing, it was evident Yugito was slowly being overwhelmed from the numerous attacks from all angles. She could only survive so much longer without some of her burden being taken off her shoulders.

He felt the pull from his shoulder as he willing out a bone, grasping it in his right hand. He charged forward, dropping low as he charged the bandits, who all had their backs to him. Naruto jumped on the back of one, slamming his bone club into the face of one bandit.

"That's one," he muttered, turning his attention to some other bandits who had finally taken notice of his existence from the scream of their comrade. Yugito also appeared to notice, renewing her efforts to fight. She jumped over the heads of the bandits, landing beside Naruto in a stance reminiscent of a cat. She stood up, cracking her neck.

"What, no thank you?" Naruto asked mockingly, causing Yugito to let out a snort.

"As if I needed any help from you."

"Yeah right! You _totally_ weren't getting destroyed!" Naruto yelled back at her sarcastically as he ran forward to engage the bandits. His left fist flash out, socking a bandit in the stomach and finishing him off with a smack of his club. He dodged to the side as another tried to cleave him in two, grabbing the back of the bandits head and bringing it down on his knee with a sickening crack.

"Says the one who stared like an idiot for ten minutes!" She retorted, launching a spinning back kick straight at one bandits face, knocking out a few teeth. Her fists flashed out and smacked the side of another bandit's head. She slid out of the fast slashes of a knife, kicking it out of its wielder's hand. It flew straight into the air, embedding itself in a tree. Using the bandit's look of surprise to her advantage, she quickly punched him in the stomach.

Her knee was brought to his face as it came down, and with a mighty roar, Yugito grabbed the bandit, flipping him flat on his back.

"Not my fault!"

Naruto ducked as a large wooden club swung over his head, intent on bashing it in. He jumped forward, pulling a dagger-like bone of his shoulder and stabbing the bandit in his arm. He load several quick, brutal punches into the bandit's cranium, more than likely leaving him with a concussion.

"It totally was! Are you gonna stand around staring at every single cool Devil Fruit you see?!" Yugito questioned, pointing an accusing finger at him after dispatching of another bandit who had gotten too close. She rushed forward at a group of them, her legs becoming flames. She jumped slightly, spinning and sending her legs out in a tornado kick, connecting with two bandits. She hovered in the air for a moment, before falling forward. She made good use of the bandit in front of her, knocking him down and using him as a cushion as her elbow was driven into his stomach.

Naruto felt his eye twitch as he stared at the final three bandits. "Yeah, well, excuse me for believing you got yourself killed!"

He drew another sharp bones from his right shoulder. With two bones wielded, he rushed at the bandit with a katana. As the bandit drew the katana in a side slash, Naruto's right hand flew out in a block, stopping the katana in its tracks. He slashed the bandit with his left arm across his chest. As the bandit grasped his chest in pain, he kicked him away, moving to the final two.

He slid down before one of them, kicking the bandit in the crotch.

"Argh!"

The bandit fell down, the sudden pain too much to bear for any man. Naruto got up and kicked him in the chest to insure he stayed down. He looked over to the final bandit, ready for one last fight.

Instead, all he saw was Yugito calmly sitting on top of him, whistling. Her extra cat like features were gone, leaving her back to normal.

They shared a victorious grin. Mission accomplished!

* * *

_"What do you mean I have to go with this guy/ she's my crew member?!"_

Naruto and Yugito's voices must've echoed throughout the entire island of Kumo with how loud they had just yelled. A rubbed his temples as they stood before him, but managed to stop his migraine at the simple thought of Yugito being off at sea and out of his hair soon.

"Well, you two clearly work well. Plus, this will be good for Yugito too, as a learning experience to grow stronger. The world is filled with extremely strong people, who you both currently hold not even a candle to currently."

They both opened their mouths to protest, but at a single look from A, closed them.

He smiled viciously. "Besides, I'm assigning you both one more mission."

"Find my idiot of a brother, wherever he may be out in the Grandline, and give him a royal sized slap upside the head for leaving without telling me!"

**The End**

* * *

**Phew. This chapter was the one of my works that was thankfully not deleted during the time I didn't long into FF. The fight scene was certainly fun, and I hope you all like Yugito's Devil Fruit power. More about it will be revealed as time goes on, but it is a Zoan fruit. However, because it's based on Matatabi, who was constructed of flames, it acts in a similar way to a Logia.  
**

**Not much to say, but hopefully you enjoyed the fight. Naruto didn't get much action in terms of his Devil Fruit in this chapter. Remember, he only barely managed to pull out a bone when he arrived on Kumo- he's not magically gonna be able to do the things Kimimaro could do (shooting out his finger bones, using his spine as a whip, bone armour etc). As time progresses, he'll slowly but surely get to, and exceed that level. I'm excited for that time :D **

**Review and let me know what you think. I'm gonna alternate between this story and "Of Crows and Blood-Red Eyes" for a bit. **

**HokagenoNaruto, out.**


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